Cat's Cradle
by Levade
Summary: Elladan and Elrohir are at it again, much to Glorfindel's dismay.


  
_This is just a little bit of nonsense that came out on a quiet day. Not a sequel to anything, nor meant to go with anything.  
Oh, and though it doesn't say so, there is a period of time between the kitten's birth and their first meeting with the twins. *g* I realize kittens are born blind and helpless._  
  
  
~~*~~  
  
Elrond Peredhil, Lord of Imladris, one of the Wise, one-time Herald of the Noldor High King stared at his twin sons with an expression of barely contained exasperation.  
  
They were filthy, with bits of shrubbery and grass in their hair and clothing, looking almost as dark as the men of Harad due to the dirt coating their faces and small hands.  
  
Apart from the double grins of small, white teeth.  
  
"Da!"  
  
"Look what we found!" Elrohir had the head, Elladan, the hind quarters.  
  
The middle of the poor, very obviously pregnant cat was hanging in what had to be an uncomfortable position. Yet the animal simply stared at the Eldar with a resigned air as she softly panted.   
  
"Boys..." Elrond motioned them to set the cat on the ground, approaching slowly, even as the twins continued to stroke her with surprisingly gentle touches.  
  
Considering what utter hoydens they were.   
  
Pushing a fall of dark hair out of his face impatiently, Elrohir left another streak of dirt across his face.  
  
Their mother was going to have conniptions over this.  
  
"Where did you find her?"  
  
"Forest." Elladan gestured up to a thickly wooded hill behind the main buildings. "We saw her a few weeks ago."  
  
"Took us forever to get her to come to us!" Elrohir beamed happily at the animal as it calmly looked up at him. "We started feeding her."  
  
"Because we saw she was going to have a baby." Pulling a burr from the fluffy brown tail, Elladan pursed a lip. "She was making noises today, Da."  
  
"Like she was in pain."  
  
Seeing the anxious expectancy in their gazes - he was a healer, and father, therefore he could make anything better - Elrond's eyebrows drew together. "Boys, we really should let Roccondil handle this. He's an animal -"  
  
"But she's in pain, Da!" Elrohir's dark blue eyes glimmered, suddenly seeming absolutely huge in the little heart-shaped face.   
  
Elladan nodded, putting an arm around his twin.   
  
"Yes, and Roccondil is used to helping animals in pain." Taking his surcote off, grateful he'd chosen to wear an older one rather than a velvet, Elrond set it on the ground. "Lift her, gently! Onto the cloth. She'll be far more comfortable carried thusly." Smiling as he watched the twins work in natural tandem, they had since crawling, the healer reached out to stroke a hand fondly over his son's hair. "Pick up the ends, carefully now. Good." He stood as well, shepherding them ahead of him with a hand on either small shoulder. "Be certain she doesn't get tipped off."  
  
The cat, far from being frightened, seemed grateful not to being lugged any longer and reclined as though she was the Queen of Imladris, looking around as they passed the buildings of the commons, to the stables.  
  
"Yea...she's about ready to birth, all right." Roccondil gently stroked the sable brown fur, smiling as the cat purred. "I didn't realize we had cats here. Bigger than the Lindon one's aren't they?"  
  
She was too, by quite a bit, her fur longer to protect her from the winters that were colder in the mountain terrain as well.   
  
"Nor did I." Offering a wry smile, Elrond nodded to his sons who had wandered over to pet their father's stallion when he pushed his head over the stall door and whickered at them. "Leave it to those two to find one."  
  
"One isn't a problem, but there's a tom out there as well." The beast handler chuckled. "Let's hope they don't have as large litters as their Lindon cousins." Standing, Roccondil turned to the twins. "I'll watch over her, boys. Don't worry. She'll be fine."  
  
"Can we come see her baby?"  
  
"Will you tell us when its born?"  
  
Elrond resisted chuckling, seeing how sincere they were. They would be fortunate if the cat didn't have a litter of four or more, but the twins were only familiar with Elves and horses.   
  
"I will."   
  
"Now." Setting a hand on either shoulder of his sons, Elrond guided them towards the stable door. "We had better get you two cleaned up before your mother sees you."  
  
Elrohir grinned, giving a little hop over the root of a tree. "It's kind of funny when she makes that noise though, Da."  
  
"Eee!" Elladan squeaked, almost perfectly imitating his mother.   
  
Clearing his throat to cover a laugh, their father herded them towards the bath area where warm water and soap would reveal the two small Entish beings to be Elven boys after all.   
  
~~*~~  
  
Dropping his saddlebags on the bed, stretching arms upwards to ease muscles tired from days in the saddle, Glorfindel looked around his room with a well-satisfied smile.   
  
His visit to Mithlond had gone well, catching up with old friends, but he was happy to be home.   
  
Dumping the contents of his bags out, he rummaged around for the presents that had been sent back with him. Círdan always teased Bronwe she spoiled the twins, especially when not in the same haven, yet he always managed to sneak in some small trinket for the boys as well.  
  
This time he had sent two hand-carved, wooden puzzles that looked impossibly complicated.  
  
Glorfindel had little doubt the twins would have them apart and back together again within a span of hours. They had their father's ability to concentrate exclusively on one thing until it was thoroughly understood, though...typically such focus was given to exploration rather than study.   
  
They were young yet, just a handful of years past toddlerhood.  
  
Bronwe had finagled Glorfindel into drawing a set of pictures for the stories she penned for the boys. Tales from the First Age, watered down enough to not overwhelm still very small Elflings. Full of adventure and feats of daring-do, they were sure to become the newest favourites.   
  
There was also a bundle of herbs and seeds for Elrond - ones he'd mentioned had frozen the winter before, from the Mithlond healer's garden. A bit bulkier bundle was some sort of fabric for Celebrian to fashion into a gown or some such feminine frippery. Gathering his treasures from the coast together, Glorfindel set out to find his friends and adoptive family.  
  
~~*~~  
  
Yawning, weary from both his travel and wrestling with the twins, Glorfindel pulled of a boot as soon as he entered his chambers, tossing it aside. The other one was always harder to coax off, and he muttered at it as he walked into the sleeping chamber to sit on the bed. "Blasted boot, always..." A grunt as he yanked on it, pulling it to his ankle. "...wants to cling..."   
  
Coming free suddenly, the boot sailed across the room to hit the wardrobe with a dull thud.  
  
Shaking his head, the blonde reached up to unbraid his hair.  
  
And froze as a tiny series of soft sounds came from the wardrobe.  
  
Cocking his head, gaze suspicious - he'd still never quite shaken the wariness born of that long-ago attack - Glorfindel grabbed his dagger and silently advanced on his wardrobe.  
  
Pausing to listen, he frowned.   
  
Didn't sound very threatening. Not at all.   
  
In fact, it almost sounded like... tiny miaows.   
  
The Hero of Gondolin, slayer of a Balrog, sung of in ballads and mourned as beloved, wrinkled his nose. How did a Lindon cat follow him home? And manage to get in his wardrobe?  
  
Sheathing the dagger, he slowly opened one of the doors, peering inside.  
  
"Miaow?" Large golden eyes, gleaming in the dim light of the room, blinked sleepily at him. Stretched out on one of his favourite tunics, six fluffy kittens nestled along her belly, a sable brown, long-haired feline gazed at him serenely.   
  
Blinking, nodding to the cat, Glorfindel closed the door, whirled and stalked to the corridor. "ELROND!!"  
  
~~*~~  
  
"She gave birth on my favourite, silk, tunic." Drumming fingers impatiently on the table, Glorfindel scowled as his old friend snickered.   
  
Heartless.  
  
"Elrond, I fail to find this amusing!"  
  
"Glorfindel." The haven lord, roused from his bed by the bellowing of the blonde, pushed back a long fall of loose dark hair and smirked. "Obviously she found a place both secure and comfortable to give birth."  
  
"How did she get *in*?" The blonde huffed again for the memory of his clothing -- now that he thought about it, she'd rather made a nest in there. Valar knew how many of his tunics were ruined now! "Last time I checked, cats lack a thumb, which would make pulling that wardrobe door open quite difficult."  
  
"They're very intelligent, and she's larger than the cats we had in Lindon." Elrond yawned, shrugging a shoulder under the dark blue robe he'd thrown on, half-expecting to find a Balrog from the way Glorfindel had been yelling. "Really, old friend...what do you want me to do now? The damage is done. You might as well allow her to be comfortable whilst she nurses her babes."  
  
"Easy to say since it's not your clothing she's rooting around in!" Pushing heavy golden hair out of his face, the blonde stood. "Very well, but as soon as they're old enough, they're out. Roccondil can deal with them. In the stables!"  
  
Nodding, expression mild in the face of the blonde's ire, Elrond stood as well. Smiling, he patted Glorfindel's shoulder. "Get some rest. I suspect the twins will be in there as soon as they find out about the kittens."  
  
Offering a nod of resignation, still frowning a bit, Glorfindel huffed. "The twins I don't mind, now that I'm used to them pouncing on me at the break of dawn." Offered a rather wry grin. "As long as they mind their knees and those elbows. They're quite sharp."  
  
"Yes." Elrond nodded, wincing in memory. "I know."  
  
~~*~~  
  
"Gofi!!"   
  
"GOFI!"   
  
Twin tornadoes of energy, enthusiasm and affection pounced the sleeping Elf, earning a startled grunt. "Hmmm."  
  
Petting the golden hair, half-sprawled across the older Elf's chest, Elrohir grinned at the semi-awake adult. "Look!"  
  
Elladan grinned as he stuck a mewling bundle of fur in Glorfindel's face. "Isn't it cute?"   
  
"They must have come out during the night."  
  
"We found 'em wandering all around your rooms." Elladan nodded, cuddling the little ball of fur.  
  
"And look!" Elrohir rolled a bit to point to the pillow next to the blonde. "Mama cat likes you!"  
  
Groaning, suppressing a curse, Glorfindel grimaced. Wonderful. First his clothing, now his bed.   
  
What next?  
  
"Yes, quite adorable." He tried for a genuine smile -- which really wasn't so hard after he blinked awake a bit. The little fluffbit of grey with blue eyes was rather cute. "Ow!" He grimaced as the kitten hopped free of the boy's hands to romp over some rather sensitive areas with dagger sharp kitten claws.  
  
"Aww..." Elrohir giggled as another kitten pounced his foot. "They like it here, Gofi."  
  
"Yes." He nodded, pulling a swath of hair free as the mother cat tried to groom him. So I see."  
  
"I'm glad we brought her back, 'Ro." Elladan's smile was huge as a little black fluffball curled against his leg, purring.   
  
"What?" Glorfindel pinned the boys in place with an intense stare. "YOU brought them here?"  
  
Wrinkling his little nose, Elrohir nodded. "Sorta. Adi and me found her and made friends." Deep blue eyes were utterly sincere. "We really thought she'd only have one or two babies."  
  
"Da made us leave her with Roccondil."   
  
"Wonder how she got in here?"   
  
Elladan sighed. "I wish she'd chosen our room."  
  
"Yeah, you're lucky, Gofi!" Elrohir threw his arms around the blonde, hugging him before chasing after a kitten, giggling.   
  
Glorfindel sighed, looking around at kittens, twins and mother cat -- all looking quite at home on his bed. Chuckling, he shook his head. "Yes, I suppose I am."  
  
~~*~~  
  
END  



End file.
